


Harry Potter and the Search for the Horcruxes

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-03
Updated: 2006-01-03
Packaged: 2019-01-19 10:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12408846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Novel-length canon-happy seventh-year fic. Harry and the gang go on a quest to destroy the Horcruxes and ultimately Voldemort.





	Harry Potter and the Search for the Horcruxes

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

The train swayed violently in the wind as it sped away from Hogwarts. Rain pelted the windows where pale faces could be seen peering out. Unlike the end of every other school year, however, the train was not full of wisecracking students tripping over each other in the corridor. There was no last minute abuse of spell-casting privileges. In fact, there were only about a dozen students on the train at all, and the only laughter to be heard was shrill and quickly stifled. The witch with the sweets cart didn’t even bother to push it; instead she sat dejectedly in the compartment behind the conductor, eating pumpkin pasties and letting the wrappers drop to the floor.

Two compartments down, five Muggleborn students sat close together, speaking quietly and glancing anxiously out the window. A first year cried while a sixth year rubbed her back soothingly. In the very last section of the train, one compartment sat full. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley sat close together, Ron’s arm around Hermione’s shoulder, holding her closely while tears slid silently down her face. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood flicked through an upside down magazine together, murmuring softly. Harry Potter stared out the window, no expression on his face, watching the scenery speed by. And Ginny Weasley watched Harry Potter.

It had been only the day before that a horde of frantic parents had descended on Hogsmeade, demanding their children. Hundreds were sent home by a secure Floo fireplace in McGonagall’s former office, with an Auror escorting each group. Dozens more were handed directly to their parents in Hogsmeade, where they were promptly Apparated or flown home. The train was an option that the Muggleborns were forced to take, as their parents had no other way of collecting them. And then of course there was the scene in the Great Hall late the night before. Molly Weasley had arrived, ready to escort her flock home. Harry had flat out refused to go with her, refusing to explain why. In tears she had pleaded with her children to make him see reason, but she was faced with the unmoving faces of Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry. They announced they were taking the train, and would see her at Platform 9 and ¾. No amount of begging or pleading could dissuade them, and finally they retreated to their common room, where they were followed by Neville and Luna.

There the six sat all night long, staring into the fireplace and stroking their various pets. Neville was strangely bright-eyed, Hermione in a deep depression, Ron bewildered, Luna as serene as always, Harry broodingly quiet, and Ginny was watching Harry.

Ever since Professor Dumbledore’s funeral, all Ginny did was watch Harry. She watched as he refused to eat. She watched as he sat awake in the common room every night. And she watched as the boy she loved, the boy who lived, lost his inner light.

On the train, Hermione suddenly let out a loud sob and fled from the compartment. Ron immediately jumped out of his seat and followed her. Luna glanced up and studied Ginny for a moment. Then she pulled on Neville’s sleeve and glided from the compartment, closing it behind Neville as he left also.

And then they were alone. It was a full 10 minutes before Harry noticed everyone else had left. He glanced around and saw Ginny across from him. He smiled weakly, and she frowned. She studied him hard for a moment, before rising and walking across to him. She took his face in her hands, and traced his jaw line with a finger. He didn’t raise his eyes to meet her face, and she slapped him sharply.

“Bloody hell Gin! What did you do that for?”� Harry said sharply, reaching for his face. He looked up at her and saw her eyes blazing fire. She moved to raise her arm again, and he reached out and deftly caught it, stopping her from hitting him again. “What is wrong with you?”� he asked in a bewildered voice.

“Me? What’s wrong with me?”� Ginny threw her head back and laughed. Unlike the other laughter heard on the train, hers was loud and rich, not held back in the slightest. “There is nothing wrong with me Harry Potter, except I have the stupidest boyfriend in the wizarding world.”� She told him coldly.

Harry looked at her, taken aback. “Gin, we’re not, um,”� he faltered at the glare she shot him. “We discussed this, remember?”�

“We discussed _nothing_. You found out there’s something you have to go do, and you decided to be brave and strong and keep me out of danger. So you shunted me to the side. How long did you honestly expect me to be a good little girl and sit at home twiddling my thumbs Harry? Because if you thought for a second I’d let you go off by yourself, you’re more of a prat then Percy.”� Her hair was starting to crackle from the magical energy she was putting off, and Harry was strongly reminded of Molly Weasley in a rage.

He opened his mouth and gaped at her, then shook his head and tried to speak.

“Shut it! I don’t want to hear you telling me it’s too dangerous, all right? I know for a fact Hermione and Ron will be following you whether you like it or not, and you might as well get used to the fact that I’m coming too. We know there’s something going on, and we know you’re going to need help. So quit being so pigheaded and accept that we’re along for the ride too!”� 

She paused to catch her breath, and then continued in a controlled voice “You’re not the only one he’s affected. I have an entire year of my life he stole, and I want to make the bastard pay for it. Merlin help me, but I will do whatever is in my power to make sure he never hurts anyone again. And that means helping you in any way I can.”�

She opened her mouth to continue, but was cut short by Harry rising suddenly. Surprised, she closed her mouth as he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look directly in his eyes. She stared at him unblinkingly for a long moment, and her eyes opened wide in surprise as he suddenly captured her mouth in a fierce kiss. After a minute he pulled back and looked at her again. Her face was lit up with happiness, a broad grin spreading across her cheeks for the first time in days. At the sign of her smile, he too began to grin, before picking her up and spinning her around in a tight hug.

The train suddenly jolted, causing them to stumble and fall onto a seat. They quickly stood and raised their wands, before cautiously opening the door to the corridor. They saw their friends doing the same in the two nearest compartments. Ron quirked a smile in Harry’s direction, which he answered with a nod. He opened his mouth to speak, but the train swayed violently once more.

“Stay here!”� Harry ordered the group, and fled to the front of the train. Neville went to a window in a compartment, and quickly came back into the corridor.

“Shut all the drapes. Now!”� he said with a pale face. Ron and the girls leapt into the closest compartments and started covering the windows. The train gave another violent shake, and Luna’s voice was heard floating through the train “Oh dear. I do hope the giants realize that this isn’t a toy train. Whatever are they doing so far from the mountains?”�

“G-g-giants?”� Hermione’s voice squeaked. She peered out of a window, and promptly jumped backwards, shutting the door behind her. Her face now matched Neville’s. 

Harry returned, with the students from the front of the train close on his heels, all with wands drawn. 

“Did you see them?”� he asked, and was answered by nodding heads. “Right. The conductor says they’re trying to knock us off the track. We’ve sent an owl to the Ministry for Aurors, but no one can apparate onto the train while it’s moving. Meanwhile, we need to stay as close together as possible.”� Here, he paused to peek into a compartment, and withdrew his head with a smile. “Whose idea was it to close the curtains?”� he asked.

“I thought it would be best if they couldn’t pinpoint where we were by our shadows”� Neville said.

“Brilliant. Let’s go up the whole length of the train and do the same. Everyone, listen closely to me. Do you remember when ministry officials attacked Hagrid and McGonagall last year?”� Most of the group nodded. “Well, almost no spell has any effect on those with giant’s blood, so don’t even bother trying. What you need to concentrate on is-”� The train swayed violently to the right, and everyone scurried quickly to the left to try to counter balance it.

“We need to get out of here,”� Hermione said in an anxious voice.

“I know. Everyone stay calm, and whatever you do, DON’T attack the giants. Don’t provoke them at all, it’ll only make things worse.”�

They stood in anticipation for a moment, each student waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Harry began to inch slowly toward the nearest window, whose curtain stood tawt by magic. He approached it slowly and soundlessly, cringing at every slight groan his footsteps made. As he reached his hand out to grasp the curtain and pull it aside, the window burst and the students were covered in shattered glass. 

A couple of them screamed and one young girl sprinted toward the nearest exit. “NO!”� Ron yelled, scrambling after her. 

“Ron!”� Hermione screamed, reaching to stop him. But he was off and running to catch the frightened first year. 

He was close on her heels, dodging the debris that lay all over the train’s ceiling. Unfortunately, his foot caught on the strap of a nice leather tote and he hit the floor. As soon as he glanced back up, the girl was gone. “Hey,”� he pondered to himself before shouting after her. “Hey!”� No response. She was nowhere to be found. She had disappeared.

Ron untangled his foot, cursing the ugly bag, and walked another few feet in search of the girl. He opened a few of the nearby compartments, but found no visible signs of her. He scratched his head in bewilderment before he heard someone whisper his name violently.

“ _Ron_!”�

“Yeah?”� he called back.

“ _Be quiet and get out here_. _We can’t get separated_.”�

“Right,”� he mumbled to himself before leaving the compartment he had been searching and finding a stern Hermione a few feet away from him. She was completely stone-faced.

“Where did she go?”�

Ron shrugged. “No idea. I was about to catch her when–”�

The train shook violently and violent roars were heard from all sides. Ron grabbed Hermione and held her tight, bracing for more violence. Nothing happened. 

“Ron?”� Hermione squeaked.

“Yeah?”� his voice quivered a bit. He was afraid to talk. Anything could set the giants off. 

“You can let me go now.”�

He looked down at her awkwardly and quickly dropped his arms. “Sorry,”� he breathed heavily. She was making him tenser than the giants. 

“Let’s head back to Harry and the others,”� she whispered, walking cautiously back to the other students.

The scene that met them was not unlike the one they had left. The students stood in the middle of the train with Harry by the window, this time peeking out, trying to spot their attackers. 

“What do you see?”� Ron asked as he gathered up his strength. _As long as they aren’t spiders_ , he kept telling himself. 

“Nothing,”� Harry murmured. “I don’t see anything.”� He stood up and walked away from the window. “I’m going to go out and see if they’re gone.”�

“Are you _nuts_?”� Hermione cried. “Merlin knows what they’ll do if they see you!”�

“Well what do _you_ suggest we do?”� Harry shot back. 

“He’s right,”� Ginnie piped up. “And if anyone can handle himself out there, it’s Harry.”�

Hermione promptly rolled her eyes at Ginnie. “Of course.”�

Ginnie scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”�

“Nothing,”� Ron stepped in. “She didn’t mean anything. This isn’t the time or the place to–”�

“Oh, I meant something Ron,”� Hermione growled, “so don’t try and talk for me. What I was alluding to was the fact that–”�

A loud scream cut her off.

“Anmarie’s gone!”� cried a frightened first year boy.

Harry suddenly remembered the kind, understanding sixth year who was comforting the terrified first years. Anmarie Boggs. He glanced quickly around him, scanning the students for any sign of the tall brunette. She was nowhere. “Where could she have gone?”�

Just as he asked the question, the entire train began to tip over on its side. “Hold on!”� Neville shrieked, as the students toppled on top of one another. 

But one roll wasn’t enough. The train continued to flip over, windows bursting and metal grinding against rock as they tumbled further down the hill and into the watery ravine. 

Fortunately they landed upright, but minus four more students. The remaining six hardly had time to panic before fists were beating feverishly on their tattered train. The sound was deafening and the walls were beginning to cave in. A fist smashed through a remaining window, and reached for Hermione, who promptly disappeared. Ron whirled around looking for her, and noticed they were down to four- Neville was missing too. Ginny and Harry stood back to back, in the middle of the train, where Harry had one hand to his forehead, thinking fast. Suddenly he stumbled backwards- Ginny was no longer leaning against him.

Luna giggled. “Ronald, you look as though you’ve been confunded!”�

Ron’s mouth gaped open, perfecting the look. Harry opened his own mouth to speak, but instead dropped to the floor as the ceiling began to cave in from another furious pounding. He lifted his head to be met with only Luna’s face- Ron had disappeared like all the others.

The train flipped once more, and Harry was suddenly very concerned- water was pouring into the train, and there wasn’t much room. As he feverishly thought of what spell he could use to get he and Luna off the train, she suddenly waggled her fingers at him and disappeared.

He was alone. It grasped him suddenly, as the cold water continued to rise. He lifted his wand, ready to shout out a spell.

“Reducto!”� The red light hit a very familiar looking cupboard, destroying it instantly.

Harry whirled around. He was met with the increasingly purple face of Vernon Dursley. “What are you doing here?!?”� he bellowed. “And what have you done to my house? PETUNIA!”�

Harry stood, dazed. One minute he was about to drown, the next he was at Privet Drive. It made absolutely no sense.


End file.
